Elijah Monte Radlovic
Encyclopedia
Ilija Monte Radlovic (July 5, 1914 – August 26, 2000) was a British Arny officer and an author.
. After the law study at the University of Belgrade
and the Cambridge University, he embarked on a career in journalism, working for the Reuters News Agency, the London Daily Mail, and on the staff of the Balkan Herald in Yugoslavia.
, where he enlisted in the British Army
.
Serving with the famous "Desert Rats", commanded by General Bernard Montgomery, Radlovic participated in many battles (such as Tobruk, El Alamein and Monte Cassino) throughout North Africa
and Italy
. He rose to the rank of major
in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. He was recognized as the first British/American officer to enter Bologna
and Padua
in Italy and was highly decorated by the British government and awarded the Order of the British Empire
by King George VI
for his efforts behind enemy lines.
While on assignment with the London office of Reuters he worked with famed British writer Derek Jameson
. In his autobiography, Touched by Angels, Jameson writes that, "Foremost among this group was a Yugoslav war hero name Monte Radlovic, six-foot tall and good-looking with it." He said Radlovic, after the North African and Italian campaigns, "was among troops who linked up with Tito's forces on the liberation of his homeland" of Yugoslavia. Later Radlovic's positions against Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito
and communism became well-known at the Reuter's office. After Reuters he then founded the influential publication European Affairs where he worked closely with Bertrand Russell and George Bernard Shaw.
He came to the U.S. in 1950, where he busied himself with literary activities. He started a magazine, The Diplomat and authored two books Tito’s Republic (eventually translated into seven languages) and Etiquette and Protocol. Furthermore, he worked as Director of an anti-communist organization, the British Institute for Political Research. He also developed a great friendship with the famed well known architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
He returned to the U.S., living briefly in Washington D.C., then moving to Covina, California where he was soon joined by his wife and son. By the early 1960s, he had built a thriving real estate business, and decided to move to Claremont, California. It was there that a daughter and second son were born.
In his later years, even after he became seriously ill, he worked on a project to build a World Trade Center near the Ontario International Airport, which never reached fruition.
Longtime friends California State Senator Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga and L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich led their respective elected bodies in adjourning in Monte Radlovic's memory upon the day of his passing in August 2000.
A close friend, Nicholas Polos, described Radlovic as “a warm and friendly person,” with “European manners,” and as “an elegant gentleman and scholar.” Congressman David Dreier
said of him, “Monte Radlovic epitomized the American Dream. He was an immigrant who came to the United States and did extraordinarily well. I had the privilege of knowing him for 20 years, and was very, very saddened by his passing.”
2. The Diplomat -
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/scua/roebling/roebling_containerlist.shtml
3. Tito's Republic -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-1996804-4039248?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=I.%20Monte%20Radlovic
4. Tito's Republic - http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/top3mset/f41c4f31330d70cb.html
5. Etiquette & Protocol - used as source for U.S. Air Force "Guide to Civil Air Patrol Protocol"
6. Etiquette & Protocol cited here - http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/ercdesk/text/protocol.html
7. Etiquette & protocol;: A handbook of conduct in America - http://cgi.ebay.com/Etiquette-&-protocol_:-A-handbook-of-conduct-in-America_
W0QQitemZ290284382234QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081222?IMSfp=TL081222115001r3274
8. Congressman David Dreier
9. Amazon.com -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-1996804-4039248?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=I.%20Monte%20Radlovic
10. Frank Lloyd Wright: A Bio-bibliography -http://books.google.com/books?id=kKwWH7z92KwC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=monte+ra
dlovic&source=web&ots=atkBvLIKpu&sig=4QGThBOQ4TFJvsaQe8KywS2u9Zg&hl=en&sa=X&
oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result
Personal background
Radlovic was born in MontenegroMontenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. After the law study at the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
and the Cambridge University, he embarked on a career in journalism, working for the Reuters News Agency, the London Daily Mail, and on the staff of the Balkan Herald in Yugoslavia.
Military career
In a daring and internationally reported event, Radlovic organized a group of fellow fugitives and fled Yugoslavia via an old, broken down submarine named Nebojša during the German invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941. After a treacherous journey, endangered by German bombing (at one point his family believed him dead), he arrived in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where he enlisted in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Serving with the famous "Desert Rats", commanded by General Bernard Montgomery, Radlovic participated in many battles (such as Tobruk, El Alamein and Monte Cassino) throughout North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He rose to the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. He was recognized as the first British/American officer to enter Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
in Italy and was highly decorated by the British government and awarded the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
by King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
for his efforts behind enemy lines.
Literary activities
When the war ended, Radlovic resumed his career as a correspondent for Reuters in Belgrade, but after being denounced as a Western agent, he was reassigned to Rome.While on assignment with the London office of Reuters he worked with famed British writer Derek Jameson
Derek Jameson
Derek Jameson is a retired British tabloid journalist and broadcaster.As a child, Jameson was evacuated from London in WW2...
. In his autobiography, Touched by Angels, Jameson writes that, "Foremost among this group was a Yugoslav war hero name Monte Radlovic, six-foot tall and good-looking with it." He said Radlovic, after the North African and Italian campaigns, "was among troops who linked up with Tito's forces on the liberation of his homeland" of Yugoslavia. Later Radlovic's positions against Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
and communism became well-known at the Reuter's office. After Reuters he then founded the influential publication European Affairs where he worked closely with Bertrand Russell and George Bernard Shaw.
He came to the U.S. in 1950, where he busied himself with literary activities. He started a magazine, The Diplomat and authored two books Tito’s Republic (eventually translated into seven languages) and Etiquette and Protocol. Furthermore, he worked as Director of an anti-communist organization, the British Institute for Political Research. He also developed a great friendship with the famed well known architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Family
In the late 1950s, Radlovic went back to Yugoslavia to recommence legal studies at the University of Belgrade, where, in 1959, he met another student, Milena Djukic, who became his wife. Before the birth of his first son, Radlovic was again compelled to flee Yugoslavia after Communist officials sought to jail him for his anti-communist activities.He returned to the U.S., living briefly in Washington D.C., then moving to Covina, California where he was soon joined by his wife and son. By the early 1960s, he had built a thriving real estate business, and decided to move to Claremont, California. It was there that a daughter and second son were born.
Business ventures
In the years that followed, Radlovic became involved in a number of flourishing business ventures. He founded Pomona Realty, which grew to encompass 16 offices, and United Business Brokers, both located in the Inland Empire of Southern California, which offered seminars for entrepreneurs on how to develop successful businesses. Observers estimated that United Business Brokers played in a role in the creation of more than 150 businesses in the Inland Empire. For years he was the owner of the well-known restaurant Magic Towers, located on Foothill Boulevard in Pomona.In his later years, even after he became seriously ill, he worked on a project to build a World Trade Center near the Ontario International Airport, which never reached fruition.
Memberships and organizations
He was active in a number of organizations, principally as a Master Mason of the Claremont Masonic Lodge, as a member of the Almalikah Shrine and Pasadena Scottish Rite in Los Angeles, and of the Claremont University Club.Death
Radlovic died at age 86 after struggles with cancer and diabetes. He left behind his wife Milena, of Claremont, sons Mike Radlovic of Diamond Bar, CA, Marko Radlovic and wife, Julie, with 3 granddaughters of Sherman Oaks, CA, daughter Alexandra Radlovic of Paris, France, and two children from a previous marriage, Sally and Adrian.Longtime friends California State Senator Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga and L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich led their respective elected bodies in adjourning in Monte Radlovic's memory upon the day of his passing in August 2000.
A close friend, Nicholas Polos, described Radlovic as “a warm and friendly person,” with “European manners,” and as “an elegant gentleman and scholar.” Congressman David Dreier
David Dreier
David Timothy Dreier is the U.S. Representative for , serving in Congress since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and business career:...
said of him, “Monte Radlovic epitomized the American Dream. He was an immigrant who came to the United States and did extraordinarily well. I had the privilege of knowing him for 20 years, and was very, very saddened by his passing.”
Sources
1. Autobiography "Touched by Angels," by Derek Jameson2. The Diplomat -
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/scua/roebling/roebling_containerlist.shtml
3. Tito's Republic -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-1996804-4039248?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=I.%20Monte%20Radlovic
4. Tito's Republic - http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/top3mset/f41c4f31330d70cb.html
5. Etiquette & Protocol - used as source for U.S. Air Force "Guide to Civil Air Patrol Protocol"
6. Etiquette & Protocol cited here - http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/ercdesk/text/protocol.html
7. Etiquette & protocol;: A handbook of conduct in America - http://cgi.ebay.com/Etiquette-&-protocol_:-A-handbook-of-conduct-in-America_
W0QQitemZ290284382234QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081222?IMSfp=TL081222115001r3274
8. Congressman David Dreier
9. Amazon.com -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-1996804-4039248?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=I.%20Monte%20Radlovic
10. Frank Lloyd Wright: A Bio-bibliography -http://books.google.com/books?id=kKwWH7z92KwC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=monte+ra
dlovic&source=web&ots=atkBvLIKpu&sig=4QGThBOQ4TFJvsaQe8KywS2u9Zg&hl=en&sa=X&
oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result